MICE ‘Inn’ Kochi
Kunal Shanker, General Manager, Holiday Inn Cochin, talks about the MICE facilities at the hotel and the unique offerings the hotel provides at the events it hosts
Kindly tell us about the banqueting and conferencing space at the hotel.
Holiday Inn Cochin currently has a total conference and banqueting space of 8655 sqft including a large pre-function area. We have five halls that have the capacity to host events for 50-500 guests. The Grand Ballroom is the newest addition to the hotel and can seat upto 500 guests.
What is your USP for MICE?
The USP for the hotel’s MICE facilities would be:• Customised décor and diverse setups
• Flexible conference and meeting spaces
• Breakaway rooms
• Event management services
• Culinary finesse
• High-speed internet and Wi-Fi connectivity
• State-of-the-art technology
What kind of technical expertise can the hotel offer in its events space?
Actionable insights, designing and delivering exciting experiences for both MICE and weddings, a team of experts that can handle events of any capacity, and technical expertise from audio/visual to video conferencing are few of the many facilities that we offer to our clients.
Tell us about the specialised cuisines you offer at events.
We have five F&B outlets in the hotel and we have an eclectic culinary menu. We serve different cuisines from Italian, Chinese, and Continental to Indian and Arabic. We are also famous for serving authentic local cuisines from all parts of Kerala.
What kind of a booking window does the hotel require for larger MICE events?
Kerala, being a MICE destination and one that is sought for conducting large city-wide events and conferences, makes the booking window vary from a month to two years, depending on the type of event or conference. The city of Kochi still has limited inventory and if not booked well in advance, there could be chances of non-availability of rooms and meeting venues. The MICE segment is growing at more than a double-digit pace and we expect that it will keep growing at a faster pace with the recent change in the state excise policy, prior to which the state had seen some diversion of clients.
We have a total meeting space of 8655 sqft and five halls that have the capacity to host events for 50-500 guests